Not sure if this is the time or place, but the last election has got me thinking about who will be running in 2016.
I've got a few candidates in mind for the Democratic Party, mostly women, so I'll just jot down a few.
Kirsten Gillibrand
I think she's off to a good start and her time in this next session of the senate will be a crucial opportunity for her to gain experience and prove her worth. From what I've seen of her on TV and in interviews, she's personable and firm in her beliefs. Potential setbacks are her youth, the fact that she'd be the first female president (not necessarily bad, I think America is ready for a woman as president), her relatively liberal stance, and her lack of experience. I'll be keeping my eye on her.
Elizabeth Warren
Wow is her star on the rise. She's got a great chance to pave the way for her candidacy. She's smart, appears to be tough on shady business, and really popular. I'm worried about her age, though she'll be 67 in 2016. Still need to see a bit more of her in action.
Julio Castro
Well, I don't think he'll be ready by 2016, but I'd like to see more of him in the future. To be honest, I'm not as familiar with potential hispanic candidates - but he's got vitality and a good smile. He's extremely popular and I can see him hitting the House or the Senate in the next few years. I think the next democratic candidate will be latino or female.
Hillary C.
Sorry guys, I don't think Hillary is going to make it to the Oval Office. She's going to be too old in 2016. I don't think she should leave government completely, but I think she missed her chance. It's too bad, she probably would have made a decent president.
Again, to be honest, I'm not very familiar with many of the Republican faces, but I'm think they'll need to go with a non-white, relatively moderate candidate. I don't think the party will put up a female candidate. We may see more center-right candidates. I'm struggling to think of someone I'd actually consider voting for. Maybe someone like Olympia Snowe or Jim Leache. Then again, I don't know what direction they're going to go.
Mike Huckabee
I'm not sure how appealing he is as a candidate, but he looks like the checklist of an ideal, hard-right republican. His pass on the 2012 bid may mean he's testing the waters for 2016. I don't think this is the direction the country should move in, but if Obama's next 4 years are a disaster, it's possible the country could shift more in this direction. His views on homosexuality and evolution are pretty big hurdles.
Gary Johnson
AN interesting mix of views, he supports same-sex marriage, separation of church / state, drug decriminalization, is pro-choice, and is against censorship and regulation of the internet. Actually, the more I read about this guy the better he looks. Hmm...
Ryan
I don't think he made a strong enough impression during this campaign to make him a viable choice in the next election. When people see his name, they're going to think "Romney"→"loss". Unfortunately, he's finished. I don't know much about him, but it really bugs me he lied about his race time. Damn, dood, just come clean!! The man can't tell the truth about how fast he ran a marathon and he wants to be Vice-President?
Hmm, I'm drawing a blank here - anyone else want to add to the list?